A pathetic performance by Hugo Chavez

By Miguel Octavio

Caracas 04.09.06 | One gets tired of blasting President Hugo Chavez, but his performance yesterday during his now irregular Variety/Reality show "Alo Presidente" was nothing but simply pathetic. After avoiding the issue of crime for almost eight years, Chavez only addressed the issue of security in his last Sunday program a few weeks ago when he expressed his concern for the pro-Chavez urban leaders that have been killed and he threatened Minister of the Interior and Justice Chacon with firing him if things did not improve.

Yesterday, he mentioned the problem of security again for only the second time in almost eight years. This time, he asked the people to help protect the Cuban Doctors, because one Cuban medical doctor, in Venezuela for the Barrio Adentro program, was killed with a knife in the Caracas neighborhood of Petare. 90,000 Venezuelans have been killed under Chavez’ watch, practically tripling the yearly number of 1998 when he first assumed power, Venezuela has become worse than Colombia in terms of violent deaths, 40 Venezuelans die daily in violent crimes and the number of people killed in police confrontations has gone up by a factor of five (see here), and all the autocrat seems to really care for are his political buddies and Cuban doctors.

Whatever happened to the “pueblo” that he claims to live for and love and gets murdered by Chavez’ own police? Whatever happened to the adolescents that are terrorized, abused and murdered by Chavez own police? To the soldiers tortured and abused by his own military officers? Why hasn’t Chavez ever called for anyone to protect them? Why didn’t Chavez raise his cry of alarm when those terrible cases occurred? Why doesn’t he care about the rest of us? Wasn't it Hugo Chavez who seven years ago justified robbery by the poor in order to feed yourself?

And to top it all off, he reacts like an irresponsible adolescent, blaming everything except his inaction, incompetence and inefficiency for the problem. He blamed it on the media that supposedly stimulates alcohol and drug consumption, as if alcohol and drugs could be advertised, or as if he did not send his goons to the media every time his Government disagreed with something they said, whether explicit or not.

In fact, only today, the telecom regulator CONATEL visited the offices of a number of TV channels to investigate some “subliminal” ads by opposition candidate Rosales, as if they had nothing better to do, or as if it was not Chavez and his Miranda Command that
were abusing the campaign rules, daily, really, subliminally and in any other possible manner. In fact, it was shown that last Friday, 94%-plus of the time in the Government TV station VTV, was devoted to you know who, Hugo Chavez, in flagrant and grotesque violation fo the campaign laws.

Chavez even scolded the mayors for allowing people to drink on the streets, as if he had not been present in his own rally last Friday, where hundreds were openly drinking beer and rum on the streets as they cheered. Of course, get rid of the booze and attendance would drop dramatically, more than it already has, as it is one of the main enticements used by the Chavistas leaders to get people to attend.

But he can’t blame the media, the alcohol and the catholic nature of our country (he praised Muslim countries for banning drinking) for the terror Venezuelans and in a lesser scale the Cuban Doctors are living. He is responsible for the whole problem. It was Hugo Chavez and his cohorts that dismantled professional police forces, one after another, to put their own mediocre former and retired military in charge of a problem they had no clue or inkling about. Yes, the same military that are responsible for the sharp increase in the imports of Scotch in Venezuela, at the official exchange rate and which is sold at special prices at all military commissaries. But we do not hear Chavez saying anything about it, they might get mad at him and who knows what they might do!! That is the cynicism of Chavez and his revolution at its worst!!

But the truth is that Venezuela has become utter chaos under the stupidity and egocentricity of Hugo Chavez. He goes all the way to China to promote the country’s candidacy for the UN Security Council, which does not even carry a vote. And maybe by now there was nobody at the foreign office, since most career diplomats have been fired, that could tell the autocrat that Venezuela’s competition in the vote, Guatemala, does not even have diplomatic relations with China, as that country recognizes Taiwan. But he went, and in his absence, more than 480 Venezuelans died while he traveled, he signed in one day almost as many agreements as there were dead Venezuelans that day. But recall the agreements signed by him during his last trip to China? Shelved, filed and forgotten in who knows whose office or boxes, since there has been such a high rotation in the Foreign Ministry, that nobody currently there went to China the last time Chavez did...

And you have to wonder about Chavez’ mental stability. He can’t stand being in the country, where he is no longer the type of leader that can walk merrily among the crowds of his supporters, which are still strong. He cares little for trying to solve or solving their problems, he is surrounded my men and woman that do nothing but suck up to him, painting a reality that is far from the truth. He trusts nobody, so he simply rotates the same incompetent and inefficient men and women around him, mostly former military or simply adorers that would never tell him what is really happening. Yesterday he said poverty is down 30% since he took over, as if the poor don't know how they are doing and asked for more ideology, when people are simply asking for a better standard of living, including their personal security.

And if Chavez can’t tell what is going on, then he does not deserve to be in the position he occupies. It has been seven plus long years of waste, corruption, inefficiency and lies. Inflation is jumping up due to the mismanagement of the economy. People are unhappy as the numerous protests show. In one week, the workers of the 100% Chavista National Assembly voted in the opposition union by a three to one vote and the members of the savings plan of the Electoral Board (CNE) voted with 99% of the votes against the administration of their money under Francisco Carrasquero and Jorge Rodriguez. You have to wonder if Chavez has been told.

But in the end, the most pathetic aspect of his rant yesterday was how he ducked his responsibility and asked the people to defend the Cuban Doctors. That is what Government’s are responsible for, that is what Government’s do and are supposed to do. Any Government is responsible for the well being of all its citizens, pro or against. Chavez is not in the opposition, he has been in charge of running the country for almost eight years, but he appears not to have assumed his responsibility fully. Simply, because he does not care, Hugo Chavez only cares about Hugo Chavez, the power, the adoration, the perks, the travel.

But people are getting the message. They are beginning to understand that Venezuela needs a President for all. Someone that respects and cares for them. Someone that will work for them and not that pathetic figure we saw yesterday that cares more for Fidel and his people and asks others to assume the responsibilities he was elected for.